Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon is a 'tri'umph

Sunday, 10th June 2012

Over 200 competitors took part in the first ever Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon, Gort, Co. Galway today ( Sunday 3rd June). The event attracted first timers, children, families and elite triathletes from across Ireland and the UK, racing either in teams or by themselves. The Olympic distance, the longest of the six races on offer, was won by British triathlete Mark Threlfall, who was joined by other elite athletes including team mates Doug Hall and Jacqui Slack as well as top Irish finisher Arthur Beades from Galway Triathlon Club. Local charity partners for the event were Cancer Care West and Gort Playground Group.

The Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon is the first of the five Castle Triathlon Series weekend events* to take place this year. Each Castle offers a high quality, competitive and safe race set in beautiful grounds and truly spectacular surroundings, testament to the 8,000 competitors who are set to take part in the series this year.

Winner, Mark Threlfall commented: “I loved this race. It’s right back to the roots of what a triathlon should be and so much better than a race run entirely on roads.”

One of the Lough Cutra Castle family, Rollo Gwyn-Jones, took part in the triathlon and finished a very creditable 6th in the Olympic distance. Rollo was delighted with the event, saying, “It was a wonderful day despite some inclement weather conditions early on. The whole local community really got behind the triathlon and helped make it so successful. We’re all looking forward to next year already.”

Chris Nicholson, estate manager at Lough Cutra Castle said they were delighted to host the Castle Triathlon Series for the very first time: “The landscape, beauty and space that the Lough Cutra Castle park provides is a fabulous environment for this event. We are thrilled to be part of the prestigious Markel Castle Triathlon Series and look forward to building on the excellent foundations created by this years event.”

Many families took part as races cater for children from 8 years of age. Proud father, Bill Coyne, and his two sons Kevin (11) and Liam (9) from Westport, Co. Mayo had set themselves a family challenge this year to complete the Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon, the first ever triathlon for the two boys. They made it a mini family holiday, taking their camper van along for the long weekend to enjoy the lovely surrounding area. Mum Noreen and younger son Adam were enthusiastic supporters.

Race Director, Brian Adcock was delighted with the success of the inaugural Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon and commented: “This was a wonderful start to triathlons at Lough Cutra Castle exceeding expectations with over 200 taking part. We have welcomed the Irish warmth and hospitability which has been received from the very start and it is a great sign to see that triathletes have already booked their places in the 2013 event set to take place on Sunday 26th May.”

Official Results

The Lough Cutra – Olympic Distance Race:	1500m/44km/10km (swim/cycle/run)
Male	Female
1: Mark Threlfall – Total Fitness Bath (2:04:26) 2: Doug Hall – Total Fitness Bath (2:06:21) 3: Arthus Beades – Galway Tri Club (2:20:41)	1: Jacqui Slack – Royles Tri Club (2:20:40) 2: Grainne O’Neill – (02:24:00) 3: Ruth Samuels – (02:45:34)
The Prendergast – Mid Distance Race:	800m/44km/8km
1: Mairtin Grealish – Predator Tri Club (01:55:54) 2: Kevin Thornton – Belpark Tri Club (02:02:02) 3: Ger Bowen – Shannon Tri Club  (02:09:19)	1: Alys Mathew – (02:40:27) 2: Donna McBride – (03:03:31) 3: Sorkunde Ugalde – Galway Tri Club (03:13:39)
The Viscount Gough – Sprint Race:	400m/22km/4km
1: Bradley Strong – (01:13:25) 2: Darren O’Sullivan – Wicklow Tri Club (01:13:48) 3: Alan Forde – Galway Tri Club (01:14:11)	1: Marie Therese Harte – Athlone (01:17:43) 2: Alyshia Harte – Athlone (01:22:03) 3: Aisling Devereux – Athlone (01:26:02)
Junior and Children:
The Teal – 13 – 15 years old:	300m/8km/4km
Boys 1: Joe Deakin (00:28:50) 2: Finn Barnes (00:28:57) 3: James Kay (00:43:43)	Girls 1: Ciara O’Neill (00:44:12)
The Cormorant – 11 – 12 years old:	200m/4km/2km
Boys 1: Thomas Power (00:30:08) 2: Ben O’Sullivan (00:30:22) 3: Dara Thompson (00:30:46)
The Widgeon – 8 - 10 years old:	100m/4km/1.3km
Boys 1: Marshall Clint (00:23:48) 2: Arthur Adcock  (00:24:08) 3: Aaron Browne (00:25:28)	Girls 1: Jade Phillips (00:22:21) 2: Mali Jones (00:22:52) 3: Flo Adcock (00:25:35)

 

To register for the 2013 event, full details of the results and winners of the relay teams please visit www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk.

 

For more information, and online application, visit www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk or call 01892 870 681.